There's perhaps no other living designer who embodied the bold, playful look of the '80s more than Ettore Sottsass. Like the revivalism in fashion, graphic design and music seen in recent years, the groundbreaking Austrian-born designer's furniture and architecture has lately been experiencing a renaissance of its own with recent shows in Los Angeles and London. The next opportunity to see his work is at an upcoming exhibit that inaugurates NYC's Friedman Benda gallery this Wednesday, 19 September 2007 and also welcomes the legend into his 90th year.

Consisting of furniture and glass work created over the last few years, the solo show brings together a seminal collection that has never before been presented publicly in its entirety and still looks original and fresh.

Trademark cabinets feature typically top-heavy geometric construction and a use of materials that make for appealingly slick surfaces while also adding a sense of warmth. The result is furniture that is as fun to look at as it is engaging to experience, part of Sottsass' efforts to bring humor and emotion to design, as well as his tendency to mix in fine art sensibilities.

To get a complete sense of Sottsass' prolific output spanning furniture, ceramics, glass, architecture, industrial design for Olivetti and interior design, we highly recommend the catalog from his 2006 show at LACMA. You can pick it up from Amazon.